BURUNDI

Republic of Burundi

République du Burundi

Republika yu Burundi

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

LOCATION AND SIZE.

Burundi is a landlocked state in Central Africa, east of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, south of Rwanda, and west of Tanzania. It has an area
of 27,830 square kilometers (10,745 square miles), slightly smaller than
Maryland. Burundi's capital city, Bujumbura, is located on the
shore of Lake Tanganyika near the country's border with the
Democratic Republic of Congo.

POPULATION.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimated
Burundi's population at 6.97 million in 2000, growing at an
annual rate of 2.5 percent. In 2000 the birth rate stood at 40.46 births
per 1,000 population while the death rate was 16.44 deaths per 1,000.
The population is expected to reach 10.37 million by 2015 and 16.94
million by 2050. In 1999, only 9 percent of Burundians lived in urban
habitats, which was one of the lowest levels of urbanization in Africa.
About 67 percent of Burundians are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics,
while 23 percent hold some form of indigenous beliefs, and 10 percent
are Muslims.

Approximately 99 percent of the citizens of Burundi are Rundi (or
Barundi) and speak Kirundi. Kirundi and French are the country's
official languages. Ethnic groups include the Hutu (85 percent), Tutsi
(14 percent), and Twa (1 percent). Due to conflict between the Hutu and
Tutsi ethnic groups, and among different Tutsi groups, the country
experienced mass
emigration
of refugees. Many people fled to neighboring Rwanda, Tanzania, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, hoping to avoid violence. The net
emigration rate was estimated to be 7.43 emigrants per 1,000 people in
2000.

Burundi has a very young population with 47 percent aged 14 or younger
and just 3 percent aged 65 or older. As the younger half of the
population grows to maturity and reproduces, Burundi's already
high population density of 260 per square kilometer (100 per square
mile) is expected to reach dangerous levels. However, the terrifying
death toll of the AIDS epidemic may retard such population growth.

It is estimated that 39,000 Burundians died from AIDS in 1999 and 30
percent of all 25-29 year olds were HIV positive. The national rate of
HIV infection stood at 11.32 percent. The social and economic costs of
the disease are high. For example, the drawn out nature of death from
AIDS requires a large amount of care and attention. As a result many of
the population (mostly women) who could be employed are instead
providing long-term care for the dying. In addition, by 1999 the
estimated number of orphans created due to AIDS in Burundi reached
230,000.

INDUSTRY

Industry is very limited in Burundi. The industrial sector accounted for
19 percent of GDP in 1990, but due to the instability caused by civil
war this fell to 17 percent by 1998.

MINING.

Burundi has extensive mineral reserves. By 2001, gold, tungsten, and
cassiterite (tin ore) were mined on a small scale. One gold reserve was
estimated to contain 60 tons of gold ore. It is estimated that about 5
percent of world nickel reserves are on Burundian territory, and there
are significant reserves of uranium, platinum, and vanadium. Due to
political instability, the country's
landlocked status, and its limited infrastructure, many of these highly
profitable mineral deposits remain untouched.

MANUFACTURING.

Manufacturing is based in Bujumbara. Reaching a high of US$11 million of
exports in 1992, manufacturing exports fell to US$1 million by 1997.
Imports of manufactured goods heavily outweigh exports with US$55
million imported in 1992, falling to US$33 million in 1997.

A key manufacturing sector within Burundi's economy is the
brewing of beer. In 1996, 40 percent of all government tax receipts were
received from only 1 brewery, the Dutch-and government-owned company
Brarudi. Due to rising
inflation
Brarudi lost money throughout 1998-1999. High inflation caused a rise
in the price of raw material imports used to manufacture beer. Sales
fell by 10 percent in 1999 due to the price increases that were passed
on to consumers. Other products manufactured in the country include soft
drinks, cigarettes, soap, glass, textiles, insecticides, cosmetics,
cement, and some agricultural processing.

SERVICES

The service sector in Burundi is of minimal importance. Credit and
banking services are limited and the
retail
sector is based on small trading and shops. Due to the instability
caused by civil war the export of commercial services declined from US$7
million in 1990 to US$3 million in 1998.

TOURISM.

Although Burundi has a great deal to offer tourists, such as rare
wildlife, beautiful green mountainous landscapes, national parks, and
access to one of Africa's largest lakes (Lake Tanganyika),
terrible massacres and roaming militia members act as a considerable
deterrent to tourists. In 1992, before the outbreak of the political
crisis, 86,000 tourists arrived in Burundi (the majority from Africa and
Europe), by 1996 only 26,670 were recorded entering the country.

DEPENDENCIES

Burundi has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Africa Institute.
Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles.
Pretoria, Republic of South Africa: Africa Institute of South Africa,
1998.

Amnesty International.
Burundi: Protecting Human Rights: An Intrinsic Part of the Search for
Peace.
London: Amnesty International, January 2000.

Mazrui, A. M. "Ethnicity in Bondage: Is Its
LiberationPremature?" in
Ethnic Violence, Conflict Resolution, and Cultural Pluralism.
Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
(UNRISD), 1995.

World Bank.
World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty.
New York: Oxford University Press 2000.

—Liam Campling

CAPITAL:

Bujumbura.

MONETARY UNIT:

Burundi Franc (BFr). The largest Burundian note in circulation is
BFr5,000 and the smallest is BFr10. There are also BFr20, 50, 100, 500,
1,000, and 5,000 notes. The only coins in circulation are BFr1, 5, and
10.